The Godfather Returns
The Godfather Returns is a novel written by author Mark Winegardner, published in 2004. It is the sequel to Mario Puzo's The Godfather, which was originally published in 1969, and The Sicilian (1984). As the original novel covered the years 1945 to 1955, and included significant backstory on Don Vito Corleone's life since childhood, Returns covers the years 1955 to 1962, and includes significant backstory on Michael Corleone's life prior to the first novel. The story picks up immediately after the end of the first novel. The events of the film The Godfather Part II take place within the time frame of this novel, but are only mentioned in the background. Many of Puzo's characters are expanded upon, especially Fredo Corleone, Tom Hagen, and Johnny Fontane, and new characters like Nick Geraci and Francesca Corleone are introduced. The other half of the novel goes deeper into Michael's role as Don and his dream of becoming legitimate. The novel expands on Michael's service in World War II as well as his brother Fredo's secret life; it is revealed in this novel that Fredo is a homosexual, which drew significant disapproval from many fans of the series. The novel shows how Sonny, Fredo and Tom Hagen join the family business, as well as the deaths of Pete Clemenza and Sal Tessio. The Godfather Returns was followed by The Godfather's Revenge in 2006, also written by Winegardner. Since The Godfather Part III was released in 1990, there have been several rumors of a fourth part in the saga. In November 2006 Moviehole.net, citing sources inside Paramount Pictures, claimed that a film adaptation of The Godfather Returns(Film) and its sequel The Godfather's Revenge(Film) are silently being developed. According to Godfather III entry on Wikipedia: Abandoned sequel What follows in Vincent's story, according to author Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola, is not known. On The Godfather Part III''s DVD commentary, Coppola explains that both he and Puzo had envisioned a story depicting Vincent's reign as head of the Corleone family during the 1980s, still haunted by Mary's murder. Vincent, deviating from his predecessors' morals, would have entered the family into the drug trade, driving the Corleone clan back into corruption and eventual decline and ending with his being killed similarly to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. This proposed film would have been titled either ''The Godfather Part IV or The Godfather: The Final Part. Flashbacks would include Vito Corleone's early days as Don, and the childhood days of Sonny, Fredo, Michael and Connie Corleone, when they discover exactly the nature of their father's business. The film would have portrayed the early days of Tom Hagen, Luca Brasi and Johnny Fontane, and Vito's first meeting with Hyman Roth. According to Coppola, Puzo had composed a rough draft alternating between Vincent's reign as boss and the "Happy Years" of 1926–1939, passages from the original novel not previously incorporated into the movie storylines. Leonardo DiCaprio, Luis Guzmán, Ray Liotta, and García himself all expressed interest in the film. However, this project has lain dormant since Puzo's death in 1999. Category:Books